Featured The Temple in Revelation

Except that the 2 witnesses were men, who died and were raised up again, so that was literal!

And one must tie paul view on the man of Sin in here also, as he saw that One still yet to come, a man who would do signs and wonders and procalim himself as Messiah in temple of God!

hard to see that not being a real physical bulding!

 

Why should the Bible not place much greater emphasis on spiritual realities rather than transient physical ones? How many times speak of spiritual things and His listeners misunderstood because of their this-world mindset?

You can read about the treading down in Josephus.

 

I agree you can read all about what happened in the 1st century church. John the Baptist said repent for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand... What does at hand mean?... He that is in Judea flee to the mountains? Who is to flee me? I'm in California. Yet if you check history the Christians were warned in the 1st century and they fled to Pella. If the Kingdom of Heaven was at hand did it come? Why do preacher baptize anyone if it didn't? Is Jesus Christ reigning now? His throne is in your heart! Christ in you the hope of Glory. If you went to church on Sunday you went to worship a risen King. What I don't understand is why others don't check these facts out for themselves and then come to an understanding. I was chasing The Late Great Planet Earth at one time but when I got released from this worlds-mindset that went into the trash... Brother Glen

 

Late date theory is a house of cards when brought under scrutiny; to quote Robert Young:

"It was written in Patmos about A.D.68, whither John had been banished by Domitius Nero, as stated in the title of the Syriac version of the Book; and with this concurs the express statement of Irenaeus (A.D.175), who says it happened in the reign of Domitianou, ie., Domitius (Nero). Sulpicius Severus, Orosius, &c., stupidly mistaking Domitianou for Domitianikos, supposed Irenaeus to refer to Domitian, A.D. 95, and most succeeding writers have fallen into the same blunder. The internal testimony is wholly in favor of the earlier date." (Concise Critical Comments on the Holy Bible, by Robert Young.”

In other words Young says it's a 'stupid mistake' by Sulpicius Severus and others that has resulted in A DOMINO EFFECT of bad information concerning the dating of Revelation down through the centuries.

Also, there is compelling internal evidence within the book itself that much of it is concerned with the 70 AD destruction of Jerusalem:

And I saw another sign in heaven....and them that come off victorious from the beast... they sing the song of Moses the servant of God....Rev 15.1-3

The song of Moses is being sang in heaven in the 15th chapter of Revelation, which is very significant when you consider that the song of Moses had only one purpose and time, and that was to 'testify before Israel as a witness against them' when they had utterly corrupted themselves and evil had befallen them in the 'latter days':

16 And Jehovah said unto Moses.....this people will rise up, and play the harlot ...and break my covenant which I have made with them.
17 Then my anger shall be kindled against them in that day.....and many evils and troubles shall come upon them; so that they will say in that day, Are not these evils come upon us because our God is not among us?
18 And I will surely hide my face in that day for all the evil which they shall have wrought.....
19 Now therefore write ye this song for you...... that this song may be a witness for me against the children of Israel.
21....when many evils and troubles are come upon them, that this song shall testify before them as a witness.....
29 For I know that after my death ye will utterly corrupt yourselves, and turn aside from the way which I have commanded you; and evil will befall you in the latter days; because ye will do that which is evil in the sight of Jehovah, to provoke him to anger through the work of your hands.
30 And Moses spake in the ears of all the assembly of Israel the words of this song, until they were finished. Dt 31

The Song of Moses is quoted from by both Christ and the Apostles in reference to 'that evil generation' of Jews of their day in the gospels and the epistles.

And concerning the external evidence that the book was written prior to 70 AD, there is just as much or more that points to the earlier date:

http://www.eschatology.org/index.ph...on/889-the-dating-of-revelation-guest-article

 

I would like to add this comment I found in the book Kingdom Come Pages 420-22 which I feel is relevant to what you posted.

One must also account for the language of Revelation 18:24 where it said of Babylon that "in her was found the blood of the prophets and the saints, and of all who had been slain on the earth." This appears to be a reference to Jesus words of judgement pronounced against Jerusalem in Matthew 23:34-35 "Therefore I send you prophets and wise men and scribes, some of whom you will kill and crucify, and some you will flog in your synagogues and persecute from town to town, that on you may come all the righteous blood shed on the earth, from the blood of innocent Abel to the blood of Zachariah the son of Barachiah, whom you murdered between the sanctuary and the altar."
Whereas Rome was guilty of killing Christians, she cannot be charged with the death of Old Testament Prophets.
Then there is the fact that the beast, most likely when Revelation was written, not only interacts with the Harlot but eventually hates her and destroys her. How can Rome hate and destroy Rome? If on the other hand, Jerusalem is the Harlot attacked by beastly Rome, the imagery in Revelation 17:16 ("And the ten horns that you saw, they and the beast will hate the prostitute. They will make her desolate and naked, and devour her flesh and burn her up with fire") make perfectly good sense , for as we know Rome destroyed Jerusalem in the siege of A.D. 70.

Another fact to consider is this the woman is portrayed as a "Harlot" or Prostitute is significant insofar as in the Old Testament Prophets the imagery of a people or city committing adultery is consistently a reference to covenant unfaithfulness.

There is a contrast between two women in Revelation Jerusalem's rejection of her Messiah the unfaithful woman "Old Jerusalem" set the stage for the Messiah to take a New Bride, "New Jerusalem."... Brother Glen

 

Excellent post brother. Which 'Kingdom Come'?:

http://www.amazon.com/s/?ie=UTF8&ke...vptwo=&hvqmt=b&hvdev=c&ref=pd_sl_9ntdttlkpe_b

Excellent! Agree!

A correct understanding of the Beast of Revelation provides a solid, biblical, Historicist framework from which to interpret this wonderful capstone of the entire Bible. Pink refers to Gen 3:15 as the “seed germ of all prophecy”, and I totally agree with him.

The seven heads of the beast represent Egypt, Assyria, Babylon, Persia, Greece, Rome, and the Holy Roman Empire, five of these seven heads of the beast coincides with the beasts of Daniel. I've no doubt (actually the bible confirms much of it) that in each epoch there was great tribulation, persecution, apostasy, famine, war, escape, victory for the saints, etc., all with the source being the enmity between the serpent and the woman (Gen 3:15;Rev 12).

9 That which hath been is that which shall be; and that which hath been done is that which shall be done: and there is no new thing under the sun.
10 Is there a thing whereof it may be said, See, this is new? it hath been long ago, in the ages which were before us. Ecc 1

History runs in spirals; names, faces, places change, yet the same old conflict keeps occurring over and over again.

Another excellent point. I agree totally.

The whore is apostate Judaism, as 'Mystery Babylon', the Great Harlot, the mistress of kingdoms, the unfaithful wife of Jehovah:

26 Thou hast also committed fornication with the Egyptians, thy neighbors, great of flesh; and hast multiplied thy whoredom, to provoke me to anger.
28 Thou hast played the harlot also with the Assyrians, because thou wast insatiable; yea, thou hast played the harlot with them, and yet thou wast not satisfied.
29 Thou hast moreover multiplied thy whoredom unto the land of traffic, unto Chaldea; and yet thou wast not satisfied herewith.
32 A wife that committeth adultery! that taketh strangers instead of her husband! Ezek 16

....and those are just a very few of the OT passages referring to apostate Judaism as the unfaithful wife. She colluded with Rome to kill Christ:

Ye men of Israel....ye by the hand of lawless men did crucify and slay: Acts 2:22,23

And in her was found the blood of prophets and of saints, and of all that have been slain upon the earth. Rev 18:24

The two Women of Rev are the same two Women of Gal 4:22-26.

The Woman of Rev 12, as the children of the heavenly Zion, was persecuted by these beasts (Gen 3:15). The Harlot of Rev 17-18, as the unfaithful wife of Jehovah, committed fornication with these beasts (Ezek 23:3,5,14,30; Acts 2:23; etc., there's many more).

 

Rev 2:27 ‘ He shall rule them with a rod of iron;
They shall be dashed to pieces like the potter’s vessels’—

Psalm 2
7 “I will declare the decree:
The LORD has said to Me,
‘You are My Son,
Today I have begotten You.
8 Ask of Me, and I will give You
The nations for Your inheritance,
And the ends of the earth for Your possession.
9 You shall break them with a rod of iron;
You shall dash them to pieces like a potter’s vessel.’”

In Daniel 2 it was foretold that in the latter days 'a stone' [Christ] was cut out without hands, which smote the image upon its feet that were of iron and clay [Roman Empire], and brake them in pieces. Two feet, ten toes; read Eastern and Western Roman Empire and the ten Germanic tribes, the Visigoths, Ostrogoths, Vandals, Franks, Burgundians, Angles, Saxons, Jutes, Alamanni, and the Lombards. Rome was first ruled by the Caesars and then by the Germanic tribes. These are also the ten horns of the seventh head of Revelation and the ten horns of the fourth beast of Daniel.

These ten kings of the seventh head were to make war with the Lamb [the Church]. We, as Baptists, are acutely aware of the persecutions the Church suffered at the hands of the Holy Roman Empire. The ten kings of the seventh head were also to hate the Harlot [the dispersed Jews], eat her flesh, and burn her with fire. Herein lies the realization of the punishments and curses outlined in Lev 26 & Dt 28 (etc.) on the Jews for not hearkening unto the voice of Jehovah, i.e., the persecutions, pogroms, expulsions, etc, that the Jews have experienced down through the last two millennia.

 

Although as concerns the gospels my view is Preterist, I agree with Elder Michael Gowens in 'Glory To Come' that all four views, i.e., Futurist, Idealist, Preterist, and Historicist, have some merit when it comes to the Apocalypse. As I said, the Historicist view gives a sound framework (in time) to go on. We are, after all, creatures of time.

I may order that book. Thanks.

 

"..."And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel" (Gen. 3:15).....Here we have the beginning and germ of all prophecy." A.W. Pink
http://www.pbministries.org/books/pink/Gleanings_Genesis/genesis_05.htm

While looking for another quote of Pink I come across this one.